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National Women's Health Week (May)

About National Women's Health Week

National Women’s Health Week is led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women's Health (OWH). The 18th annual observance kicks off on Mother’s Day, May 14, and is celebrated through May 20, 2017. National Women’s Health Week encourages women to make their health a priority and reminds them to take steps for better health at every age. HHS OWH encourages women to:

Women's Health Information and Resources

Breast Cancer Disparities

In the U.S, most breast cancers are diagnosed at an early stage regardless of race; however African American women are more likely to be diagnosed at an
advanced stage. Furthermore, white women are more likely to get breast cancer, African American women have higher rates of late stage breast cancer and
more likely to die from it. In addition, breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women.

It is thought that social determinants such as access to care, living conditions and poverty, as well as cancer risk and genetic factors, all contribute to this disparity. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment are vital tools in reducing breast cancer deaths in minority women.

Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy

As an African American woman or Latina undergoing a mastectomy, it’s important to know the facts about breast reconstruction. A new
campaign led by the HHS Office on Women’s Health is providing tools to providers and patients to support conversations about breast reconstruction.

An updated breast reconstruction fact sheet from the National
Cancer Institute (NCI), with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HHS
Office on Women’s Health, HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH), and HRSA’s Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), outlines options on breast reconstruction
after mastectomy.

The fact sheet provides answers to basic questions, shows how surgeons reconstruct breasts using implants or tissue from a woman’s own body, and outlines
the recovery, possible complications and other considerations of both surgical options.